Universal Health Care In Australia

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RESPONSE 1
Amongst some of the best healthcare systems in the world, are the healthcare systems of Australia and England. According to The World Health Organisation, a health system is “all the activities whose primary purpose is to promote, restore and/or maintain health” (World Health Organisation, 2000). The WHO also states that a good health system is one that “delivers quality services to all people, when and where they need them” (World Health Organisation, 2000).
Both Australia and England operate with universal healthcare. This means that everyone has access to appropriate health services without enduring financial hardship, irrespective of socio-economic status (World Health Organisation, 2017). The objective of universal healthcare …show more content…

This system is a single-payer model and is funded primarily from general taxation revenue with a small contribution from an employment-related payroll tax. Healthcare is provided and financed by the government with citizens contributing to the provision of health services through direct taxes on income and profits, indirect taxes on the sale of goods and services, and import duties.
The NHS provides most treatments for free at the point of use, but often there are long waiting times for non-urgent health matters. This can then be covered by private health insurance, which may help avoid the waiting lines and the problem of the limited availability of specialists (The Emigration Group, 2016).
Some of the services that the NHS covers include doctor visits, surgical procedures, consumables such as medications and bandages, x-rays, CT or MRI scans or other diagnostic services (The Emigration Group, 2016). Hospital inpatient and outpatient services are also free, as well as both medical and mental health services. Unlike the NHS, Australia’s Medicare doesn’t cover ambulance, dental care or most optical treatment, which instead, is payed through other private insurance or covered by the …show more content…

Carers of people living with dementia, or anybody who simply wants to know more can also use the Helpline. Between the hours of 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday, the Helpline can be reached by phone, email, or an online chat. A message service is also available, to record calls made outside of operating hours. Calls will be returned on the next working day.
The Helpline provides a first point of contact for understanding and support for people with dementia, as well as their family and carers. It offers practical information and advice, up-to-date written material about dementia, information about other services and details of the full range of services provided by Dementia Australia (Dementia Australia, 2017).
Despite having all these resources, it has been found that the organisation Dementia Australia hasn’t had much of an impact on Australia’s health thus far. During September 2017 an online survey was conducted, revealing that more than 80% of Australians did not know that dementia is the second leading cause of death in the country (Aged Care Guide, 2017). The survey also showed that 40% of the population was also unaware that dementia is not a part of healthy

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